Sopan Deb and Jack Healy

<h1>CHICAGO — Jussie Smollett, upset by his salary and seeking publicity, staged a fake assault a week after writing himself a threatening letter, Chicago police said Thursday after the “Empire” actor surrendered to face a felony charge of filing a false police report.</h1>

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, visibly angry at a morning news conference, said Smollett had taken advantage of the pain and anger of racism, draining resources that could have been used to investigate other crimes for which people were actually suffering.

“I just wish that the families of gun violence in this city got this much attention,” he said, referring to the media.

At an afternoon bail hearing, a judge set Smollett’s bond at $100,000. He was released late Thursday afternoon after posting bond and returned to the “Empire” set in Chicago where the show is being shot.

In Thursday’s proceedings, members of Smollett’s family were in the courtroom with him as the judge, John Fitzgerald Lyke Jr., said he found the investigators’ account of the incident disturbing, particularly the assertion that Smollett had used a rope around his neck to heighten outrage.

“We live in a country where you are presumed innocent,” the judge said. “However, if these allegations are true, I find them utterly outrageous. Especially the violent, despicable use of a noose, which conjures such evil in our country.”

Smollett, wearing a black puffer jacket, did not react, though occasionally he whispered to his legal team during the 25-minute proceeding. One of the lawyers, Jack Prior, agreed that the police account was outrageous but said it also was not true.

“He wants nothing more than to clear his name,” Prior said of his client.

Later Thursday, Smollett’s legal team released a statement saying the court system had trampled “the presumption of innocence” in a “law enforcement spectacle that has no place in the American legal system.”

It said Smollett “feels betrayed by a system that apparently wants to skip due process and proceed directly to sentencing.”

Police say Smollett hired two brothers to carry out the assault and paid them $3,500. They have a copy of the check used to pay them, police said. Also recovered, they said, were phone records that showed Smollett speaking to the brothers an hour before the incident took place, and then an hour after.

In a document prepared for the bail hearing, prosecutors said they had video of the brothers at the scene, text messages they shared with Smollett and their testimony as to how Smollett had recruited them for the plan. He even had them visit the scene of what investigators contend was the fake attack, a spot near his home, on an earlier night to prepare, prosecutors said.

But, the prosecutor’s document said, a video camera at the spot Smollett had hoped would capture a phony attack was pointed in the wrong direction.

Johnson declined to indicate why investigators now believe Smollett had also played the chief role in mailing himself a threatening letter. The letter, which arrived a week before the reported assault, contained a white powder (crushed ibuprofen) and a sketch of what appeared to be a man being hanged and phrases, including “You will die.” The return address said “MAGA,” a reference to a slogan from Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.

Johnson referred further comment about the letter to the FBI, which is investigating that part of the case. The agency declined to comment.

The actor, who surrendered to the authorities Thursday morning, has insisted that the attack occurred and that he has not done anything wrong. The felony disorderly conduct charge he faces carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison.

After his arrest, the reversal in public opinion for Smollett was quick and damaging. The report of the attack spurred a national outpouring of support, including from Democratic presidential candidates and Trump, who called the incident “horrible.”

On Thursday, some of the celebrities who had initially supported Smollett began taking down their social media posts from the aftermath of the attack.

Trump said in a post on Twitter, “.@JussieSmollett — what about MAGA and the tens of millions of people you insulted with your racist and dangerous comments!? #MAGA.”

Fox, the network that airs “Empire,” released a statement Thursday saying it was evaluating the situation and the network’s options. “We understand the seriousness of this matter, and we respect the legal process,” the statement said. Network executives later confirmed that among those options was that he return to the set and resume work as Jamal Lyon.

Smollett’s official salary has not been made public, but he reportedly earned between $65,000 and $100,000 an episode on “Empire.” It was not immediately apparent whether he had had any clashes with executives at Fox, who, as recently as Wednesday, issued a statement highly supportive of the actor, calling him a “consummate professional.”

At their news conference and the bail hearing, the police officials and prosecutors unveiled much of what they had uncovered about the reported attack. Smollett, 36, who is black and openly gay, had told police that at roughly 2 a.m. Jan. 29, two masked men attacked him on the 300 block of Lower East North Water Street in downtown Chicago. He said his assailants directed homophobic and racial slurs at him, put a rope around his neck and poured a chemical substance on him. Smollett said the assault occurred after he went to pick up food.

A detective commander, Edward Wodnicki, said at the news conference that investigators interviewed Smollett at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and found he had scratches on his face and some bruising but no serious injuries.

The investigators approached the case as a possible hate crime but had difficulty finding evidence to match Smollett’s account. The attack itself was not visible on surveillance cameras.

Days into their inquiry, investigators released a surveillance image of two men thought to be potential persons of interest, now known to be two brothers who have said they helped stage a fake attack.

Police said they had spotted the brothers on surveillance footage that showed them taking a cab from the area of the reported assault. Investigators tracked the cab, interviewed the driver and identified the passengers as Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo, associates of Smollett’s.

Both had worked as extras on “Empire,” and Smollett later acknowledged that he had paid to have one of them train him for a music video. Prosecutors said one of the brothers had sometimes supplied him with designer drugs.

The men flew to Nigeria soon after the incident, police said, and spoke on the phone with Smollett while they were away. Upon their return to Chicago on Feb. 13, they were met by investigators and detained for two days.

Wodnicki said that a lawyer for the brothers, Gloria Schmidt, came to him and said: “You really need to talk to these guys. I’m going to allow them to give you a video interview with us present, and we’re going to have you hear their story. They are not offenders. They are victims.”

The men acknowledged being paid to participate in the reported assault, the investigators said. They said Smollet had been upset that people he worked with had not taken the threatening letter he received seriously. In addition they said, according to the investigators’ account, Smollett had given them $100 to buy supplies for the attack, including the rope and a red hat that would resemble ones worn by Trump supporters.

While the brothers seemed to have punched Smollett, Johnson said, “As far as we can tell, the scratches and bruising that you saw in his face was most likely self-inflicted.”

After the interview with the brothers, the detectives released them without charges. Asked about that decision, Johnson said: “Mr. Smollett is the one who orchestrated this crime. They became cooperating witnesses.”

Almost from the beginning there was some skepticism about Smollett’s account. It grew as time progressed, although police for weeks insisted that the actor was being viewed as a victim. Smollett acknowledged the suspicions in his first public statement about the incident, Feb. 1, when he said through his publicist: “I am working with authorities and have been 100 percent factual and consistent on every level. Despite my frustrations and deep concern with certain inaccuracies and misrepresentations that have been spread, I still believe that justice will be served.”

In a “Good Morning America” interview, broadcast Feb. 14, Smollett said: “It feels like if I had said it was a Muslim, or a Mexican, or someone black, I feel like the doubters would have supported me much more.”

Those kinds of appeals for public sympathy appeared to particularly irk Johnson.

“Absolute justice would be an apology to this city that he smeared,” he said at the news conference.

This article originally appeared in <a id="d3928a14-1225-4cc3-bbd9-d8b2dbd4a0cb" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/21/arts/television/jussie-smollett-arrest-salary-letter.html">The New York Times</a>.

Jussie Smollett Rehearsed His Own Assault, Prosecutors Say

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, visibly angry at a morning news conference, said Smollett had taken advantage of the pain and anger of racism.

Jussie Smollett rehearsed his own assault, prosecutors say

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said Smollett had taken advantage of the pain and anger of racism, draining resources that could have been used to investigate other crimes for which people were actually suffering.

At an afternoon bail hearing, a judge set Smollett’s bond at $100,000. He was released Thursday evening after posting bond.

In Thursday’s proceedings, Judge John Fitzgerald Lyke Jr. said he found the investigators’ account of the incident disturbing, particularly the assertion that Smollett had used a rope around his neck to heighten outrage.

“If these allegations are true, I find them utterly outrageous,” the judge said. “Especially the violent, despicable use of a noose, which conjures such evil in our country.”

One of Smollett’s lawyers, Jack Prior, agreed that the police account was outrageous but said it also was not true.

Police say Smollett hired two brothers to carry out the assault and paid them $3,500. They have a copy of the check used to pay them, police said.

In a document prepared for the bail hearing, prosecutors said they had video of the brothers at the scene, text messages they shared with Smollett and their testimony as to how Smollett had recruited them for the plan. He even had them visit the scene of what investigators contend was the fake attack on an earlier night to prepare, prosecutors said.

The actor, who surrendered Thursday morning, has insisted the attack occurred and that he has not done anything wrong.

This article originally appeared in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/21/arts/television/jussie-smollett-arrest-salary-letter.html" id="0951d2ae-c453-39b4-aa0a-fce159edc1c0">The New York Times</a>.

CHICAGO — Jussie Smollett, upset by his salary and seeking publicity, staged a fake assault a week after writing himself a threatening letter, Chicago police said Thursday after the “Empire” actor surrendered to face a felony charge of filing a false police report.

Smollett, wearing a black puffer jacket, did not react, although occasionally he whispered to his legal team during the 25-minute proceeding. One of the lawyers, Jack Prior, agreed that the police account was outrageous but said it also was not true.

“He wants nothing more than for the truth to come out,” Prior said of his client.

Fox, the network that airs “Empire,” released a statement Thursday saying it was evaluating the situation and the network’s options. “We understand the seriousness of this matter, and we respect the legal process,” the statement said.

The investigators approached the case as a possible hate crime but had difficulty finding evidence to match Smollett’s account.

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson said Smollett had taken advantage of the pain and anger of racism, draining resources that could have been used to investigate other crimes for which people were actually suffering.

Police say the staged assault was carried out by two brothers to whom the actor had paid $3,500 and that they have a copy of the check Smollett used to pay them. Also recovered, they said, were phone records that showed Smollett speaking to the brothers an hour before Smollett said the incident took place, and an hour after that time.

Johnson declined to indicate why investigators now believe Smollett had also played the chief role in the mailing of a threatening letter he received. The letter, which arrived a week before the reported assault, contained a harmless white powder and a sketch of what appeared to be a man being hanged.

The actor, who surrendered to authorities Thursday, has maintained he has not done anything wrong.

Fox, the network that airs “Empire,” released a statement Thursday saying it was evaluating the situation and the network’s options.

Smollett’s salary is not publicly known, but it was not immediately apparent that he has had any clashes with executives of Fox.

Smollett, who is black and openly gay, had told police that at roughly 2 a.m. Jan. 29, two masked men attacked him in downtown Chicago. He said his assailants directed homophobic and racial slurs at him, put a rope around his neck and poured a chemical substance on him.

Police said they had found the brothers using surveillance footage that showed them taking a cab from the area of the reported assault. Investigators tracked the cab, interviewed the driver, and identified the passengers as Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo, two brothers and associates of Smollett’s.

One had worked as an extra on “Empire” and Smollett later acknowledged he had paid money to have one of them train him for a music video.

The men acknowledged being paid to participate in the reported assault, the investigators said.

After an interview with the brothers, detectives released them without charges. Asked about that decision Thursday, Johnson said: “Mr. Smollett is the one who orchestrated this crime. They became cooperating witnesses.”

CHICAGO — Jussie Smollett, upset by his salary and seeking publicity, staged a fake assault on himself a week after writing himself a threatening letter, Chicago police said Thursday after the “Empire” actor surrendered to face a felony charge of filing a false police report.

Jussie Smollett, Upset Over Salary, Staged Assault, Police Say

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson, visibly angry at a morning news conference, said Smollett had taken advantage of the pain and anger of racism, draining resources that could have been used to investigate other crimes for which people were actually suffering.

Johnson declined to indicate why investigators now believe that Smollett had also played the chief role in the mailing of a threatening letter he received. The letter, which arrived a week before the reported assault, contained a harmless white powder and a sketch of what appeared to be a man being hanged. According to Smollett, the return address said “MAGA,” a reference to a slogan from President Donald Trump’s campaign.

The superintendent seemed particularly upset that Smollett had arranged, he said, a fake assault that included a noose around his neck.

“Why would anyone — especially an African-American man — use the symbolism of a noose to make false accusations?” he asked. “How could someone look at the hatred and suffering associated with that symbol and see an opportunity to manipulate that symbol to further his own public profile?”

A representative for Smollett did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. The actor, who surrendered to authorities Thursday morning, has maintained that the attack occurred and that he has not done anything wrong. He is scheduled to appear for an afternoon bail hearing on the disorderly conduct charge, which carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison.

After his arrest, the reversal in public opinion for Smollett was quick and damaging. The report of the attack had spurred a national outpouring of support, including from Democratic presidential candidates and Trump, who called the incident “horrible.”

On Thursday, celebrities, including Michael B. Jordan and Tracee Ellis Ross, who had initially supported Smollett, began taking down their social media posts from the aftermath of the attack.

Trump said in a post on Twitter, “.@JussieSmollett - what about MAGA and the tens of millions of people you insulted with your racist and dangerous comments!? #MAGA.”

Smollett’s salary is not publicly known, but it was not immediately apparent that he has had any clashes with executives of Fox, who as recently as Wednesday issued a statement highly supportive of the actor, who it called a “consummate professional.”

At their news conference, the police officials unveiled much of what they had uncovered about the reported attack. Smollett, who is black and openly gay, had told police that at roughly 2 a.m. Jan. 29, two masked men attacked him on the 300 block of East Lower North Water Street in downtown Chicago. He said his assailants directed homophobic and racial slurs at him, put a rope around his neck and poured a chemical substance on him. Smollett said the assault occurred after he went to pick up food.

A detective commander, Edward Wodnicki, said at the news conference that investigators interviewed Smollett at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and found he had scratches on his face, some bruising, but no serious injuries.

The investigators approached the case as a possible hate crime but had difficulty finding evidence to match Smollett’s account. The attack was not visible on surveillance cameras and there were no witnesses.

One had worked as an extra on “Empire,” and Smollett later acknowledged that he had paid money to have one of them train him for a music video.

The men flew to Nigeria soon after the incident, police said, and spoke on the phone with Smollett while they were away. And they were met by investigators upon their return to Chicago on Feb. 13 and detained for two days.

The men acknowledged being paid to participate in the reported assault, the investigators said. While the brothers seemed to have punched Smollett, Johnson said, “as far as we can tell, the scratches and bruising that you saw in his face was most likely self-inflicted.”

After the interview with the brothers, the detectives released them without charges as they looked for further evidence to corroborate their account. Asked about that decision Thursday, Johnson said: “Mr. Smollett is the one who orchestrated this crime. They became cooperating witnesses.”

Almost from the beginning there was some skepticism about Smollett’s account. It grew as time progressed, though police for weeks insisted that the actor was being viewed as a victim. Smollett acknowledged the suspicions in his first public statement about the incident, Feb. 1, when he said through his publicist: “I am working with authorities and have been 100 percent factual and consistent on every level. Despite my frustrations and deep concern with certain inaccuracies and misrepresentations that have been spread, I still believe that justice will be served.”

“Absolute justice would be an apology to this city that he smeared,” he said at the news conference. “Admitting what he did and then be man enough to offer what he should offer up in terms of all the resources that were put into this.”

A visibly angry Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson said Smollett had taken advantage of the pain and anger of racism, draining resources that could have been used to investigate other crimes for which people were actually suffering.

“I just wish that the families of gun violence in this city got this much attention,” he said at a news conference in Chicago.

The superintendent seemed particularly upset by the fact that Smollett, he said, had arranged a fake assault that featured a noose hung around his neck. Police say the staged assault was carried out by two brothers to whom the actor had paid $3,500.

A representative for Smollett did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. The actor has maintained that he did not do anything wrong.

The attack was reported to have occurred on Jan. 29. Smollett, who is black and openly gay, told police that at roughly 2 a.m., two masked men attacked him on the 300 block of East Lower North Water Street in downtown Chicago. He said his assailants directed homophobic and racial slurs at him, put a rope around his neck and poured a chemical substance on him. Smollett said the assault occurred after he went to a Subway restaurant to pick up food. When police arrived at Smollett’s apartment, he was still wearing the rope.

Smollett also told police that as the attack occurred, he was on the phone with his manager, Brandon Z. Moore, who later corroborated the phone call to Variety. The actor was initially hesitant to inform police because of his high-profile status, according to law enforcement. It was his friend, choreographer Frank Gatson, who initially made the call.

But a team of investigators, looking at the case as a possible hate crime, could not find evidence to match Smollett’s story. The attack was not visible on surveillance cameras and there were no witnesses.

The report of Smollett’s being attacked spread quickly and a national outpouring of support quickly followed. Multiple 2020 Democratic presidential candidates weighed in to condemn Smollett’s purported assailants, as did President Donald Trump, who called the incident “horrible,” and several advocacy groups offered aid.

In the days after Smollett reported his attack, police released a surveillance image of two men thought to be potential persons of interest. The actor would later say in an interview broadcast on “Good Morning America” that he was convinced that these two were the men who attacked him.

On Feb. 13, police detained Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo, two brothers and associates of Smollett’s, believing them to be the men in the images. Their home was raided by law enforcement. Through their lawyer, the brothers initially said they didn’t know why they were of interest to police, but investigators changed their status from persons of interest to potential suspects publicly. But the story took another twist: The brothers told police that they had been paid by Smollett to stage the attack, and detectives released them without charges.

Skepticism over the story existed from the beginning — particularly from conservative commentators who found Smollett’s story implausible — because of the lack of evidence. Outwardly, police repeatedly said they were treating Smollett as a victim and that they had no reason to doubt his story. Smollett acknowledged the suspicion in some corners in his first public statement about the incident, which came on Feb. 1, when he said through his publicist: “I am working with authorities and have been 100 percent factual and consistent on every level. Despite my frustrations and deep concern with certain inaccuracies and misrepresentations that have been spread, I still believe that justice will be served.”

In the “Good Morning America” interview, which was broadcast on Feb. 14, Smollett said to Robin Roberts, “It feels like if I had said it was a Muslim, or a Mexican, or someone black, I feel like the doubters would have supported me much more.”

Even so, the Chicago Police Department was still investigating the case as a possible hate crime until late last week, when, Johnson said, police began considering Smollett as possibly culpable. Smollett was charged on Wednesday.

Police Say Jussie Smollett Staged Assault as Publicity Stunt

CHICAGO — Jussie Smollett, upset by his salary and seeking publicity, staged a fake assault on himself a week after writing himself a threatening letter, Chicago police said Thursday after the “Empire” actor surrendered to face a charge of filing a false police report.

“Why would anyone — especially an African-American man — use the symbolism of a noose to make false accusations?” he asked.

The attack was reported to have occurred on Jan. 29. Smollett, who is black and openly gay, told police that at roughly 2 a.m., two masked men attacked him in downtown Chicago. He said his assailants directed homophobic and racial slurs at him, put a rope around his neck and poured a chemical substance on him.

On Feb. 13, police detained Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo, two brothers and associates of Smollett’s, believing them to be the men in the images. Their home was raided by law enforcement. Through their lawyer, the brothers initially said they didn’t know why they were of interest to police. But the brothers told police that they had been paid by Smollett to stage the attack, and detectives released them without charges.

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Sopan Deb and Jack Healy

Articles written by the author

Jussie Smollett rehearsed his own assault, prosecutors say

Jussie Smollett Rehearsed His Own Assault, Prosecutors Say

Jussie Smollett Rehearsed His Own Assault, Prosecutors Say

Jussie Smollett, Upset Over Salary, Staged Assault, Police Say

Jussie Smollett, Upset Over Salary, Staged Assault, Police Say

Police Say Jussie Smollett Staged Assault as Publicity Stunt

Police Say Jussie Smollett Staged Assault as Publicity Stunt